The present invention relates generally to a protective enclosure, and particularly to a system for accessing components housed within a protective enclosure.
Many electrical devices are composed of electronic components housed within a protective enclosure. For example, the central unit of a desktop computer system typically consists of a microprocessor, hard drive, RAM, and power supply housed within a protective enclosure. The central unit is typically coupled to a monitor, keyboard, printer, and mouse.
Protective enclosures for housing electronic components come in a variety of shapes and sizes; however, they typically consist of a chassis with a removable cover. A chassis is typically composed of sheet metal. Covers may be formed of sheet metal and/or plastic. A cover is typically secured to a chassis by screws. Occasionally, the components within the protective enclosure need to be accessed, either for repair or upgrade. To remove the cover and access the components, any screws used to secure the cover to the chassis must be removed. A tool, such as a screwdriver or drill, is needed to remove the screws from the enclosure. Installing and removing screws, however, is a time consuming task. Additionally, screws are an additional component that must be accounted for and which can be easily lost.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a system that could allow access to the interior of a protective enclosure quickly, without the use of tools and producing no loose parts.
A protective assembly for housing an electronic component is featured. The protective assembly includes a chassis and a cover. The chassis has a catch and a fulcrum. A securing latch is secured to the cover. The securing latch includes a central body having a latch configured for engagement by the catch. The central body is disengaged from the catch by using the fulcrum to pivot the central body.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a latch system is featured. The latch system includes a pivotable latch, a catch, and a fulcrum. The catch is disposed to engage the pivotable latch. The pivotable latch may be pivoted about the fulcrum to disengage the catch.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for securing a cover to a chassis is featured. The method includes attaching a pivotable latch to the cover. The method also includes positioning a catch chassis such that the movement of the pivotable latch is restricted when the cover is in a over securing position. The method includes configuring the base with a fulcrum disposed in relation to the rigid body so that a force applied transversely to the rigid portion will cause the rigid portion of the pivotable latch to pivot from the cover securing position.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a latch to secure a cover to a chassis is featured. The latch has a mounting portion, a central body, and a flexible arm. The mounting portion secures the latch to a cover. The central body has a first member configured for capture by the catch. The flexible arm couples the central body to the mounting portion and biases the central body to a first position.